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$29,176

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Enter the Aetherium - a world between worlds, a place capable of containing the human mind, a place of infinite possibility, a place that is no place at all.

Aetherium is a miniatures board game by Anvil Eight Games for 2 or more players.

Control the tyrannical and neo-fascist government of the Axiom, or fight for your freedom alongside the anarchist Nanomei.

Aetherium requires roughly one hour for a full game. Assemble your collective of hackers, agents, activists, or anarchists and lead them on a hyper-fast run through a dangerous virtual reality. Aetherium is a contest of mental skill, as players try to outthink their opponent using programs, resources, and the world itself in order to carve a space inside this fluid reality. Fight for control of the greatest discovery of human existence.

The 2-player Aetherium Starter Box comes with absolutely everything required to stage a daring encounter in the Aetherium, including:

The initial release includes two factions against each other in pitted struggle for control and for freedom:

THE AXIOM:
ORDER IS FREEDOM.
OBEDIENCE IS SALVATION.

One of the last relevant governments in the world, the Axiom rose from the ashes
of the First Great Trade War. The Axiom movement has been the salvation for
nearly 1.5 billion souls in a dour future, and its citizenry exalts the twin notions
of order and secular progress. The Axiom has stood on the edge of civilization,
peered into chaos, and pulled through only from its zealous sense of community
and discipline.

And so,
the Axiom State rules with righteous fervor in both the Aetherial and Maeterial
worlds. The state is its religion. Control is its only interest.

Progress
and faith in stability -that is what matters - one need merely believe that the
world is better than it was, and that it will be better still through hard work
and the adherence to the basic principles of civilization and social order. The
status quo is progress. Order is liberation.

THE NANOMEI: WILD. RECKLESS. FREE. NO MATTER THE
COST.

The
Nanomei are an extraordinary, decentralized collective –though there are two
characteristics that seem to bind them to a single purpose: they worship the
idea of freedom, and they are wild.The
Nanomei are innately gifted hackers who can bend the Aetherium’s fluid reality
to their will and, though they lack the power and resources of corporate houses
and oligarchical governments, they have embraced the anonymity afforded by
their coded representation in the Aetherium. They do so to resist. Always.
Resist.

The
Nanomei inspire extraordinary reaction. They are freedom fighters to some and
reckless extremists to others. They are talented. They are mundane users.
They are wild. They are arbitrary. They are juvenile, vibrant, and cruel. They
are anarchy itself. They are the end of civilization. They are humanity’s last
hope against vile oppression.

The
Nanomei are all this. With an intuitive and a violent resistance to all forms
of repression, all systems of control, the Nanomei fight ceaselessly to wrest
the Aetherium from the hands of those who would contain the human psyche within
narrow confines of order and obedience. No matter the cost.

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Also, we filmed a more detailed and thorough video of the game mechanics at AdeptiCon, and you can find that VIDEO HERE.

Risks and challenges

The goal of this Kickstarter is twofold: first to push this game from pre-production to production stage (this is expensive); and second, to find a base that wants to play in our universe. The game itself is currently in Beta playtesting. The board is set. The pieces are moving. The most daunting risks for this project have already been taken. We have invested in artists, sculptors, and writers; we simply need your help to shift from prototype to production proper. Thank you in advance for your enthusiasm and your support.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $240 or more
About $240

AXIOM UPLOAD: You will receive all AXIOM UPLOAD SETS currently in production, the AETHERIUM STARTER BOX, a digital artbook, all unlocked kickstarter exclusive miniatures, and a personal thank you on our website.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $260 or more
About $260

NANOMEI UPLOAD: You will receive all NANOMEI UPLOAD SETS currently in production, the AETHERIUM STARTER BOX, a digital artbook, all unlocked kickstarter exclusive miniatures, and a personal thank you on our website.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $400 or more
About $400

FUNCTION: You will receive ALL UPLOAD SETS for the Axiom and Nanomei factions currently in production, the AETHERIUM STARTER BOX, a digital art book, one Kickstarter exclusive miniature, and a personal thank you on our website.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $2,000 or more
About $2,000

AVATAR: You will assist in the CREATION of a unique MINIATURE for the game. Plus you will receive all upload sets for the Axiom and Nanomei factions currently in production, the Aetherium starter box, a digital art book, one Kickstarter exclusive miniature, and a personal thank you on our website.